Re: Does It Ever End?

Mimi 1883 · ‎03-15-2010

So sorry for your loss of beloved Katie. I understand what you're going through - it's devastating.

Does it ever end? Not for me it hasn't. I lost my beloved dog 'Jett' on January 7th and I still cry every day for him. He was with me 24/7 for 11-1/2 wonderful years - I always thought, what would I do without you... It's a different life now without him - When he left, a part of me left with him.

F/N/A luvstogarden

DSD2 · ‎01-09-2016

@wismiss Will the joy of having Katie for 14 1/2 years at some point and time outweigh the sadness of not having her?

It is heartening that you are now able to laugh about happy memories you shared with Katie. She will always live on in your heart and I believe (and hope) the pain will lessen in time. Our fur children ARE our children and like any loved one's death, time is the greatest healer and consoler.

God bless.

DSD2 · ‎01-09-2016

@Ainhisg wrote:
I am so sorry, and wow...do I understand. We lost our elderly pup on August 1. It was expected, as we didn't think she would make it until Christmas. Although tiny, she was large and in charge! We had just started healing from her loss, when we unexpected lost our other pup on September 20 because of an undiagnosed genetic condition. This condition couldn't be detected until it reared its ugly head. He suffered horribly at the end, and I am still suffering the effects of seeing that. We lost both within 51 days of each other. I feel gutted much of the time. I am retired so was home taking care of my babies almost 24/7, and the pup that had the genetic condition was "my" baby--followed me everywhere, in my lap, at the door to greet me. He loved my husband, but he LOVED me if you know what I mean. Anyway, I sometimes wonder when my remembrance of his last days will recede and the good memories will take over. I can't wait for that day.

I am starting to decorate for Christmas, and I left the box with our Christmas stockings and hangers in the attic, because--of course--the pups had stockings, too. I just couldn't bear to see them this year or deal with them. Last year, we knew we likely wouldn't have our elderly dog, but the unexpected pain of losing our remaining dog is sometimes just too much.

I didn't mean to hijack your post, but I truly understand as do all of us that have lost our babies. I sometimes wonder what I'm going to find around the house of the pups that I've forgotten about that is going to bring fresh pain.

I am so sorry for your heartbreaking losses. May time help heal your hurt and may you be able to remember your good times together in happiness rather than sadness in the not too distant future.

Franell · ‎03-23-2012

Everyone is different but for me when my first dog passed I needed to get another one. I know people who felt that the pain of loosing their pet was something that they never wanted to deal with again so they never got another, but for me getting another dog helped me heal. Over the years I have lost 3 of my beloved basset hounds and I will never forget them and will always miss them but the two I have now bring me a lot of joy.

GingerHead · ‎03-10-2010

I'm so sorry for your loss.

It gets easier with time but never completely leaves, one day you'll smile thinking about them instead of crying every time.

When we lost our first dog after a long 17 years it was devastating, really the hardest thing my husband and I had ever gone through.

We lived for about a year without getting another dog and that was a really hard year. We always knew we'd get another dog because while it's hard to deal with losing a dog it's even harder living a life without one.

So in our case the best thing we did to heal was to get another little dog to love and boy do we love him!

"We can judge the heart of a man by his treatment of animals" -Immanuel Kant

"Once you have had a wonderful Dog, a life without one, is a life diminished"-Dean Koontz

FancyPhillyshopper · ‎05-02-2017

I still mourn my very first pet, a beautiful goldfish that I picked out as a very small child.

After many, many decades of pet ownership--fish, turtles, birds, cats, and dogs, and my DH even had pet ponies and horses-- I am so grateful for the special love I have shared with all of these unique creatures and wonderful family members.

No, no pet will ever "replace" another, but it is true that if one of them did not pass away, then I would never have brought home another, so the memories just multiply.

We will always miss them, but they know we loved them, and hopefully they lived the best life possible.